Whose decisions doom the mission? "Alien: Covenant," part of The Next Reel's Alien series, is Ridley Scott's return to the franchise he started—a sequel to "Prometheus" and a prequel to the rest of the series—built around a colony ship, a mysterious transmission, and a rogue synthetic. Michael Fassbender plays twin androids—David, an unshackled older model operating alone for a decade, and Walter, his constrained successor—alongside Katherine Waterston as Daniels and Billy Crudup as the crew's embattled new captain.
Pete and Andy dig into why the film fails as both a creature feature and a philosophical inquiry—tracing the production history behind the script's competing visions, dissecting the protagonist problem (nobody meaningfully changes, not even the villain), and examining what Fassbender's dual performance achieves in a film that couldn't support it. If you've ever felt these prequels were working against the franchise, this conversation gives you the language for why. We have a great time talking about it, so check it out then tune in—The Next Reel on TruStory FM, when the movie ends, our conversation begins!
🎥 Watch Our Full Conversation on YouTube 
🎬 Watch & Discover
Watch the Film: Apple TV | Amazon | Letterboxd | Trailer 
If You Liked This Conversation, Try These from the Next Reel Family:
The Next Reel — Alien Series—the full run from "Alien" through "Prometheus" that leads directly to this conversation
The Film Board — Prometheus—Pete and Andy's companion discussion of the direct predecessor that started the prequel arc
The Film Board — Alien: Covenant—their original conversation at the film's 2017 release, which this episode revisits and extends 
🔒 This episode includes member-only bonus content. The movie ends. The conversation goes further—and there's more of it in the member feed. Become a member. 
🎧 Members get this episode early and ad-free in their private feed—plus every show in The Next Reel family.

The Next Reel Family of Film Shows:

• Cinema Scope: Bridging Genres, Subgenres, and Movements | The Film Board | Movies We Like | The Next Reel | Sitting in the Dark

Connect With Us:

• Web | Letterboxd | Flickchart | Instagram | Bluesky | YouTube | Discord
• Your Hosts: Andy | Pete
• Merch Store | Audible